Allen Community College sophomore Raegan Beckley wasn’t going to be denied on Wednesday afternoon against Kansas City Kansas Community College in Iola.
Beckley and Blue Devil pitcher Megan Sumonja locked horns for an unbelievable pitcher’s dual in the first game of a doubleheader.
The teams went into extra innings tied 0-0. Both pitchers went well over 100 pitches but kept shutting down the other team’s offense. At the end of the ninth the score remained 0-0.
“In warmups, all of my pitches weren’t looking my best, but once I got out there I had some fire under me and started throwing how I know how to,” Beckley said.
In the tenth, each team begins the inning with a runner on second to try to accelerate an outcome to the game.
After Johnson County successfully sacrificed the runner to third, Beckley allowed a single to score the go-ahead run.
Beckley was able to get out of the inning with only the one run allowed.
The Red Devils copied the Blue Devils’ model in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice bunt from Julia Keating and then a Sarah Eckart single scored Morgan Wayman from third to tie the game.
The game went into the 11th tied 1-1 and Beckley toed the pitching rubber for her 11th inning of work with a runner again being placed on second to begin the inning again.
Beckley rose to the occasion with a strike out to begin the inning and after the Blue Devils bunted to put the runner on third with two outs.
Beckley buckled down, however, and induced a ground ball to herself and flipped it to first to keep the score tied and give her team a golden chance for victory.
“Raegan was the reason that we all kept fighting,” Wayman said. “We wanted to help get her that win.”
Two quick outs made it look like the game would be destined for a 12th inning.
Alexis Ramos singled to put runners at the corners with two outs for freshman Chelsea Lake.
After fouling off two pitches, Lake put a 1-2 pitch into right field for a walk-off single to take the 2-1 win.
“That will be a boast in her confidence since she has been in a slump,” Allen coach Jaime Jensen said. “To see her dig deep and get it done for us was really good.”
Beckley finished the game with 164 pitches in her 11 innings and allowed five hits and three walks while striking out six.
“Raegan threw well,” Jensen said. “They are very good power-hitting team and we shut them down.”
GAME TWO
In game two, the Red Devils gave the ball to Sierra Thompson, who’s emergence fortified the Red Devil pitching staff this season.
“Sierra’s been a huge key for us,” Wayman said.
The Red Devils got Thompson some run support in the second inning with a two-run homer by Mallory Roush to make it 2-0.
“(Roush) was that spark plug for us,” Jensen said.
The Blue Devils answered with a pair of runs in the third inning.
The teams remained deadlocked at 2-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning when the most experienced bat in the Red Devil lineup stepped to the plate in the form of Wayman.
Wayman took a pitch over the left field fence for a two-run homer.
“It definitely felt good,” Wayman said. “I had all the fire and drive in me to get that homer and then help ignite that fire with everyone else.”
Thompson and Emma Broxterman added insurance runs with RBIs later in the inning.
The insurance runs paid off with the Blue Devils scoring two runs in the seventh inning, but Thompson was able to close it out for the win.
Thompson finished the game with 10 hits allowed and only one strikeout, but in typical fashion she only allowed one walk.
“She just goes out there and hopes that they put it in play,” Jensen said. “She isn’t out there trying to strike anyone out. She never tries to do too much and just trusts in her defense and lets them help her. That is a good thing.”
